Podcasts about First Second Books

In this episode, we kick off We're With the Banned – a miniseries on banned or challenged comics and graphic novels – with a discussion of This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, published by First Second Books! In this delightful, finely detailed coming-of-age story, friends Rose and Windy contend with their impending adolescence during a summer beach trip, set against a pair of contrasting conflicts revolving around pregnancy, communication and depression. Will Rose get over her crush on store clerk Dunk and realize she's backing the wrong horse? Will Windy ever slow down and take a breath? And can they prevail in that high-stakes game of Beach Blanket Bingo known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund ·       We welcome a surprise guest ·       Petit Maman ·       The Power Fantasy Vol. 1: The Superpowers Join us in two weeks as We're With the Banned continues with a discussion of 2006's Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon! Until then:Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 9! Our returning guest is Sarah Myer, the amazing, award-winning comic book artist and writer who is probably best known for her critically acclaimed and recognized graphic memoir, Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story, published by First Second Books.  However, they show their skills on so many other titles as well, including as the main artist on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures, colorist on TMNT vs Street Fighter, as well as a variant cover artist on TMNT Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen issues.  In this episode, we focus on one of Sarah's passion projects, Cheer Up, Michael! This is their independent webcomic that they write and illustrate. Cheer Up, Michael! is a story that explores the idea of  “What happens AFTER your dreams come true? It follows Michael Theodore Mouse (stage name: "Mickey") who feels lost. A huge star for decades, he's now the burnt out CEO of a massive company, and he longs for the happier days of his youth.  In Part 1, we discuss the origin of Cheer Up, Michael!, real-life experiences that have impacted the story, the balancing act of writing characters, and strategies for writing characters who have both affection and annoyance for the main character. Check out Cheer Up, Michael!, we highly recommend it (plus, it's free)! To hear more about Sarah's career, then please also listen to S04E24. To learn more about Sarah, then go to their website, sarahmyer.net or Instagram @smeyercomics, and you can support Sarah through their online store where you can purchase originals and signed work.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.  

I'm joined today by Eisner nominated comedian, podcaster, and comics writer Jordan Morris on the show today. Jordan has an hilarious new graphic novel coming out called Youth Group with First Second Books. I grew up in the church so reading this was a bit of a release for me having grown up in the Satanic Panic era in the 80s and early 90s. With an obvious analog to Buffy, demon hunting is often portrayed as dark and brooding or requiring tons and tons of magical weaponry and while there are weapons here, it's less about that and more about the found family we acquire along the way of finding ourselves and solidifying, or not, what we believe in those tough transitional teenage years. It's a lighthearted approach to poking fun at the structures of religion while, in my mind, managing to embrace faith as still a positive and personal thing. I really enjoyed it, after all, who doesn't love to exorcise Smash Mouth. If you are interested in learning more, make sure to visit bit.ly/youthgroupbook or Jordan's website. From the publisher When cynical, gothy Kay lets her mom talk her into joining the youth group at their church, she's prepared for the dorky sing-alongs and the cheesy slogans about dodging temptation. What she isn't prepared for is walking in on the clean-cut youth group leaders, Meg and Cortland, in the middle of a real-deal exorcism. Turns out these wholesome Christian teens are demon-hunting soldiers in a secret war that's heating up fast, and even if Kay wanted to stay on the sidelines, she doesn't have a choice – she's a “Blight,” a human who demons can't possess, and that makes her a target. But Kay's in good hands with her new friends – for them, fighting literal demons is all in a Sunday's work! Our episode sponsors After the Realm Don't miss Eisner and Harvey award winning comics creator Michael Avon Oeming's newest crowdfunding project After The Realm. With over 300 pages of material and 22 new pages of story, this graphic novel collects issues 1-5 of this realm trotting dystopian fantasy adventure that follows young ranger Oona Lightfoot's travels and travails trying to find her best friend as the nine realms are torn asunder.  Arkenforge Play TTRPG games? Make sure to check out our partner Arkenforge. They have everything you need to make your TTRPG more fun and immersive, allowing you to build, play, and export animated maps including in person fog of war capability that let's your players interact with maps as the adventure unfolds while you, the DM get the full picture. Use the discount code YETI5 to get $5 off your order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are so excited to be sharing this interview with Jordan Morris today! We ramble about some current events in the intro segment but if you're wanting to jump right to the conversation you can skip to 21:33. Jordan is a comedy writer with experience working in TV, features, comics, podcasts, digital comedy and video games! For television he's written for shows on HBO Max, Disney Plus, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network and YouTube Originals. For comics he created and co-wrote the 2x Eisner nominated graphic novel Bubble, based on the hit Maximum Fun podcast of the same name (also created by him!). They are currently developing a feature film based on Bubble for Sony Animation and Point Grey Productions. His second graphic novel, Youth Group, is a YA horror-comedy out 7/16/24 from First Second Books! Available for pre-order NOW! This is the book we're primarily talking about in today's episode! He's also written stories for Archie Comics for their Chilling Adventures line. Jordan is a co-host of Jordan, Jesse, Go!, a totally nonsensical chat podcast with Jesse Thorn (NPR) and Free With Ads, a movie recap show with comedian Emily Fleming. You can also see him pop up semi-regularly on the hit YouTube show Good Mythical Morning as a variety of unpleasant characters. If you enjoy this episode please go pre-order the book here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250789235/youth-group You can find everything else you might want to know about Jordan and all his work over at https://www.jordanmorris.net. If you are looking for the Reel from The New Evangelicals and Erica Smith Sex Ed that we talk about in the intro of the episode, it can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8pPdhtuHZN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== And if you're looking to find out more about Erica Smith's work you can find that over at PurityCultureDropout.com. If you enjoy listening to the show, please consider heading over to apple podcasts to rate and review us. If you really enjoy the show, we would love to see you in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/ThereafterPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Also, look for us on social media and shoot us a message to say hello, or chat with us in Twitter spaces on Tuesday mornings in deconstruction coffee hour! Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThereafterPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CortlandCoffey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThePursuingLife⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThereafterPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CortlandCoffey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThePursuingLife

We get serious with Jordan Morris, whether he wants us to or not. He returns to the podcast with his new graphic novel, Youth Group, done in collaboration with artist Bowen McCurdy. It's a wickedly winky narrative about a young goth girl named Kay reluctantly following her mother's instructions to join a Christian youth group and discovering that they actually battle demons. Morris returns to the nineties in an effort to better understand his brief flirtation with religiosity, which left him with warm but complicated feelings. Youth Group arrives from First Second Books on July 16th, and it's packed with jokes, we promise. However, Jordan Morris has found himself once again trapped with Comic Book Couples Counseling, and we need to work out the weird feelings and memories his book awoke in us. Where does the metaphor begin and end with God? The question has been on our minds a lot lately, and we take it to Morris as filtered through Kay's clash with Hell's best betas. In this week's episode, we travel back in time, exploring Jordan Morris' past youth group experiences as well as our own. We consider the anxious feeling ignited when connecting the personal with the absurd and the shocking healing that can occur on both sides of the page. For the artist and for the reader. You can track down Jordan Morris via his Twitter, Instagram, and Website. As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the site that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to those books. Brad's Referral Lisa's Referral Other Relevant Links: Brad and Lisa on Free With Ads, Talking Tank Girl Jordan Morris and Tony Cliff on CBCC Subscribe to the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast Subscribe to the Vactor-Verse Subscribe to Wizards: The Podcast Guide to Comics Final Round of Plugs (PHEW): Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia, on 5/19 at 4:00 PM for our Green Lantern screening, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies. Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases. And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren. Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts. Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website, where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators. Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 24! In this episode, we share a conversation with Sarah Myer, the Eisner Award nominated author and illustrator of the graphic memoir Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story, published by First Second Books. Other than the Eisner Awards, their work with Monstrous has gained attention with an L.A. Times Book Prize nomination and multiple starred reviews and recognition from a variety of places including a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, a Kirkus Best Teen and YA Graphic Literature of 2023, and numerous Best of 2023 lists. Sarah has also completed extensive work with IDW Publishing. They are currently the illustrator and cover artist of several comic issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures. Previously they were the colorist of TMNT vs Street Fighter and TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures comics, as well as a variant cover artist of TMNT Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen issues. Additionally, Sarah is the writer and illustrator of their independent webcomic Cheer Up, Michael! Sarah's previous work includes Hello Kitty & Friends Coloring Book through VIZ Media and the Ringo Award Nominated Anthology Votes for Women: The Battle for the 19th Amendment published by Little Red Bird Press. In Votes for Women, they wrote and illustrated the installment “Asian American Exclusion.” We are also fans of Sarah's first graphic novel Maker Comics: Create a Costume! also published by First Second Books. You can keep up with updates on Sarah's work on her website sarahmyer.net and instagram @smyercomics. Buy Monstrous! It's amazing! If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

July 16-22, 1994 He was one of the very last in person guests pre-COVID, and this time he's back via satellite, please welcome writer of his second graphic novel, Youth Group (out 7/16/24 from First Second Books! Available for pre-order NOW!) , comic, and podcaster Jordan Morris back to the show. Ken and Jordan discuss NASA, Dave Thomas (Wendy's), Popeyes, KFC, In and Out Burger, when all cartoons became babies, Yo Yogi!, Jellystone, the most obscure Hanna Barbara characters, Ken's love of Frankenstein Jr., the impossible Impossibles, Sex with Cindy Crawford, the moon landing, Summer Shows, Sex in the 90s, House of Style, Steven Banks Show, paddy whacks, what Alec Baldwin watches, PBS Sitcoms, Yank Yucks, the "YouTube Thumbnail face", Pat Riley, TV Nation, the glory of the early teen years Summers, learning pop culture references, Hot Shots, The Mad Magazine phenom, Ren & Stimpy, the sweet Nicktoons, Rocko's Modern Life, Dream On, boobs on cable, Weekend at Bernie's II, MTV, Dead at 21, Good Morning Mr. Hitler, Vanessa Angel on Time Trax, unethical Anti-Gravity Belts, Chained Heat II, erotic Thrillers, Pam Anderson in Snapdragon, massive Tom Beringer fans, Blossom, Joey Lawrence's music career, music video drops, Michael Jackson Black or White, Ashton Drake's weird dolls, mold breaking, heist movies, Game Gear, Three Ninjas, Running Man, Tales from the Crypt, Arnold Schwarzenegger's directorial debut, William Hickey, Body Double, The Critic, Grace Under Fire, Seinfeld, In Living Color, Fraiser, Christmas in July, Pieces : It's Exactly What You Think It Is, AIDS calendars, Flashdance, Boogaloo Shrimp on Family Matters, Cliff Hanger, Terry O'Quinn, Samurais, and loving Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. 

If the name Will Dennis doesn't immediately leap to mind, I'm sure you've read something he has been an editor for. For over 15 years he helped shaped the voices and vision of what is arguably the most recognized comics imprint of all time, DC's Vertigo, until he transitioned to working as a freelance editor for Image, Comixology, DC, First Second Books and TKO to name a few. He has worked with the biggest heavy hitters in the business for two decades and is now turning his attention to helping launch the new comics publishing company DSTLRY as its founding editor. We got a chance to talk about the foundational ideals of the new company which includes creator compensation benefits among other things, his new role with the company, and even worked in a bit about his love of painting Warhammer miniatures in his spare time. Make sure to check out our monthly crowdfunding comics feature book: BattleMex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we welcome comic book creator, Kyle Starks, to talk about his recent DC Comics series "Peacemaker Tries Hard" inspired by the recent James Gunn TV series! Plus news on tons of Kyle's more recent creations such as Pine and Merrimac from Boom Studios on shelves now and the upcoming Karate Prom from First Second Books!   Host: Andy Larson Co Hosts: Chad Smith and JA Scott Interview Guest: Kyle Starks (Peacemaker, Rick & Morty, I Hate this Place); Website

My guest on this episode is Hiromi Goto. Hiromi's first novel, Chorus of Mushrooms, won the 1995 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book, was the co-winner of the Canada-Japan Book Award. Her second adult novel, The Kappa Child, won the 2001 James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Award. She has published multiple novels for adults and children, as well as a book of poetry, and a collection of short stories. She has also won The Sunburst Award and the Carl Brandon Parallax Award. Hiromi's most recent book, Shadow Life—her first graphic novel, created with artist Ann Xu—was published by First Second Books in 2021. Shadow Life won the 2022 Asian/Pacific American Literature Award for Adult Fiction and was nominated for a 2022 GLAAD Media Award and an LA Times Book Prize. The New York Public Library also declared it one of the best books of 2021. Publishers Weekly, in its review of Shadow Life, said: “this wry genre-bending graphic novel …delves into aging, independence, lost love, and mortality with a whimsy that doesn't undercut its literary heft.” Hiromi and I talk about her current situation in which she finds herself unable to read and write barely at all, and about the work she is doing as a part-time farmhand that, even if it doesn't help her get writing again, is doing some good and necessary things for her soul.   Hiromi Goto: hiromigoto.com Music: "simple-hearted thing" by Alex Lukashevsky. Used with permission. Contact Nathan Whitlock at nathanwhitlock.ca/contact

Hi, everybody. Kristin, Rich, and George are joined by Emmy winning comedy writer Rob Kutner. He is the author of the new all ages graphic novel Snot Goblins And Other Tasteless Tales from First Second Books, illustrated by David DeGrand. Rob tells us about the book and one of his other graphic novels, Shrinkage, and shares stories of his days as a writer for Dennis Miller Live, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien, and Conan. He has also written for Teen Titans Go!, Angry Birds: Summer Madness, and Ben10.  SPECIAL OFFER EXPIRING AUGUST 31, 2023 - Rob is offering a free digital download of his Shrinkage graphic novel to any Meanwhile At The Podcast listener who purchases Snot Goblins And Other Tasteless Tales before August 31, 2023. Just send us a picture of the receipt of your purchase of this book via a direct message to our Twitter/X account @MeanwhileATP along with your name and the email address to which the digital download may be sent. If you are taking advantage of this generous offer, please make sure you get all that information to us by 11:59 PM pacific time August 31, 2023. For all things Rob Kutner (and to purchase Snot Goblins And Other Tasteless Tales), please visit his website at https://www.robkutner.com and check out https://snotgoblinsbook.com. Rob is also involved in the new podcast The Novelizers With Andy Richter. The first season of shows is a serialized retelling of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, with such Novelizers as Patton Oswalt, Felicia Day, John Hodgman, JK Simmons, and Dick Cavett. Subscribe on your favorite podcatcher (you know, the one you use to subscribe to Meanwhile At The Podcast). Thank you for listening. Connect with Meanwhile At The Podcast on social media. Don't forget to #livetweet (we're still calling it that)! Share the show, subscribe so you don't miss an episode, and rate us on your podcast apps. Those much coveted five stars are always appreciated. Stay safe out there. https://twitter.com/@MeanwhileATP https://www.instagram.com/meanwhileatp http://www.meanwhileatthepodcast.libsyn.com  https://www.facebook.com/meanwhileatthepodcast NOW ON SPOUTIBLE @MeanwhileATP Rodney (AKA Art Nerrd): https://twitter.com/@artnerrd https://www.instagram.com/theartnerrd https://www.facebook.com/artnerrd https://shop.spreadshirt.com/artnerrd Kristin: https://www.facebook.com/kristingollhofer https://www.instagram.com/kristingollhofer Rich: NOW ON SPOUTIBLE @doctorstaypuft https://twitter.com/@doctorstaypuft  

Today is another special episode of the show as we look at women rulers of ancient Egypt, what Vampires can tell us about the immigrant experience, and more with the author of the new book Snot Goblins and Other Tasteless Tales, Rob Kutner, on this episode of Unspookable. Host: Elise Parisian Created, Produced, Edited by: Nate DuFort Music Direction and Composition: Jesse Case Logo by: Natalie Khuen You can find Unspookable on Twitter and Instagram at: https://twitter.com/ImUnspookable https://www.instagram.com/unspookablepodcast/ Check out Snot Goblins and Other Tasteless Tales written by Rob Kutner and illustrated by David DeGrand at First Second Books or wherever books are sold. Do you want a free and easy way to support Unspookable? You can support the podcast by taking our short questionnaire at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unspookable This week's episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh: Want to try it yourself?, Go to www.hellofresh.com/50unspookable and use code 50unspookable for 50% off plus free shipping! That's www.hellofresh.com/50unspookable and use code 50unspookable for 50% off AND free shipping on your first order of HelloFresh: America's #1 Meal Kit. Unspookable is a production of Soundsington Media committed to making quality programing for young audiences and the young at heart. To find out more go to http://www.soundsingtonmedia.com  Advertise on Unspookable: advertising@airwavemedia.com

We continue our San Diego Comic Con coverage with Deb JJ Lee. Their graphic novel debut, IN LIMBO, is an incredible autobiography about her teen years growing up as a Korean American trying to find their place in the world. Jimmy talks with them about the book's serious tone dealing with mental health issues, what it was like to navigate through their American teen years with Korean parents, friendships, discovering art, and more. A moving and touching tale. They also talked about inspirations, fun times and upcoming work. Stay tuned over the next couple of months for more SDCC interviews! Also, get a hold of us! Thanks for listening!

Here’s my chat with Graham Annable about his new graphic novel Eerie Tales from the School of Screams from First Second Books. This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And the podcast is also available on YouTube. Please like and subscribe to that video channel. Graham is an Oscar-nominated director, cartoonist and animator living just outside […] The post Graham Annable talks about ‘Eerie Tales from the School of Screams’ and more appeared first on True North Country Comics.

It's not up for debate. American Born Chinese, now streaming on Disney+, is 2023's best comic book adaptation. The streaming series miraculously transforms Gene Luen Yang's iconic graphic novel into something unique without betraying the book's characters or core emotions. You can experience both separately from each other or in conversation with each other; they're doing their own thing. On this week's episode, Gene Luen Yang joins the show to discuss the adaptation process and how it somewhat represents how he would tackle the material today in sequential form. When he looks back at the cartoonist who produced the comics in 2006, does he recognize him? The answer may surprise you. We chat about a few significant changes made to the narrative and why they were necessary. We discuss the impact stories have on our lives, and Yang details the specific tales that influenced his creative imagination. A few CBCC favorites delightfully appear. The American Born Chinese adaptation consumed Gene Luen Yang's attention, distracting him from his many deadlines. He's cooking up a lot of comics at the moment, and he's eager to put new stories out into the universe. We run through a few and predict a couple of our own comic book desires. You can watch American Born Chinese on Disney+ now and purchase the original graphic novel, published by First Second Books, from your local comic book shop.  Be sure to follow Gene Luen Yang on his website, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.  Other Relevant Links: Our Stan Sakai Conversation Our Mark Waid Lazarus Planet Conversation Our Mark & Eve Counseling Sessions FINAL ROUND OF PLUGS (PHEW): Also, JOIN OUR PATREON before we wrap up our 75-episode series on Sandman's first 75 issues. Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases. And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren. Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcasts. Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators. Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Your heroes take a journey to the west with American Born Chinese!    This episode features a chat about the three-part storytelling structure, inspirations and asian stereotypes, and share what we liked about the graphic novel. As always, you'll find the History of the Creators, Favorite Lines, The Art Awards, and Adaptation Alley.American Born Chinese is created by Gene Luen Yang and published by First Second Books.Follow ComiClub on Instagram @ComiClubPodcastComiClub is hosted by Blaine McGaffigan and Adam Cook. 

Your heroes return to give their first impressions on American Born Chinese! "American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he's the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny's life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twist in this action-packed modern fable."American Born Chinese is created by Gene Luen Yang and published by First Second Books.Follow ComiClub on Instagram @ComiClubPodcastComiClub is hosted by Blaine McGaffigan and Adam Cook. 

Shot X Shot welcomes renaissance cartoonist and editor Mark Siegel to the podcast. The founder and creative and editorial director of First Second Books, Mark is an accomplished writer and illustrator whose work includes the The Five Worlds quintology, Tiny Dancer, Sailor Twain, and Oskar and the Eight Blessings. A never-ending font of poetic inspiration and hilarious anecdotes, Mark and SXS host Kevin Gardner form the perfect comic book dad hurricane in this podcast. Enjoy.

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Jirisan (2021, tvN) written by Kim Eun-hee starring Ju Ji-hoon and Jun Ji-hyun. Grace appreciates the chemistry between the two stars as well as Kim Eun-hee's accomplished way of non-linear storytelling. Grace does question, however, the show's expectation of disabled characters to reach a cure in the end, and without any explanation as to how they got there. Jirisan is chockful of gorgeous scenic views of mountains throughout. Grace's guest is Korean American illustrator and author Deb JJ Lee (@jdebbiel on Instagram) who has a new book out entitled In Limbo recently published by First Second Books. They discuss cat gums, freelance life, microaggressive teachers who didn't try to learn Korean names and confused Asian students in classrooms, processing childhood trauma, double-eyelid surgery, healthy boundaries from parents, overcoming fear of public speaking, angelic heroes and inspirations. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit https://www.kdramaschool.com/ to learn more.

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Jirisan (2021, tvN) written by Kim Eun-hee starring Ju Ji-hoon and Jun Ji-hyun. Grace appreciates the chemistry between the two stars as well as Kim Eun-hee's accomplished way of non-linear storytelling. Grace does question, however, the show's expectation of disabled characters to reach a cure in the end, and without any explanation as to how they got there. Jirisan is chockful of gorgeous scenic views of mountains throughout. Grace's guest is Korean American illustrator and author Deb JJ Lee (@jdebbiel on Instagram) who has a new book out entitled In Limbo recently published by First Second Books. They discuss cat gums, freelance life, microaggressive teachers who didn't try to learn Korean names and confused Asian students in classrooms, processing childhood trauma, double-eyelid surgery, healthy boundaries from parents, overcoming fear of public speaking, angelic heroes and inspirations. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit https://www.kdramaschool.com/ to learn more.

Find us on all the socials: WacomXPDXYou can find our podcast ‘Why We Create' on all major podcast platforms (visit our lnk.bio)For our second episode of ‘Why We Create', we sat down with publisher and artist, Mark Siegel to chat about the creation of his publishing company, First Second Books, the magic behind a collaborative workflow, and the power of sequential storytelling. You can find and follow Mark at the links below: 01FirstSecond books on Instagram 01FirstSecond books on Twitter#wacomXPDX#podcast ⁠ #creatives #whywecreate  #community ⁠ #spotify #applemusic #googlepodcast ⁠#iheartradio #podcasters Find and Follow the Wacom Experience Center on all the socials: WacomXPDX#wacomXPDX #podcast ⁠ #creatives #whywecreate #community

Gene Luen Yang is a prolific cartoonist whose personal work is deeply rooted in the Chinese-American experience. He's best known for his original graphic novel American Born Chinese, and his work with franchise stories such as Superman and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hear how Gene went from being a computer engineer and high school teacher to full-time cartoonist and recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant. More from the episode How did the success of American Born Chinese change the trajectory of his career? Gene opens up about quitting his day job: “It felt like breaking up with somebody.” What do coding and comics have in common? And how did teaching help Gene become a better writer? The difference in how he approaches licensed vs. creator-owned work, and the benefits of doing both. Gene talks about the importance of learning to finish, and the anxious voice inside his head that keeps him on track. How he juggles working on multiple projects at once with being a husband and parent. About Gene Luen Yang Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress' fifth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second Books, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the L.A. Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award Finalist. His other works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), Superman from DC Comics (with various artists), and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Dark Horse Comics (with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. His most recent books are Dragon Hoops from First Second Books and Superman Smashes the Klan from DC Comics. Connect with Gene Luen Yang https://geneyang.com/ https://www.ted.com/speakers/gene_yang https://twitter.com/geneluenyang?lang=en https://www.facebook.com/cartoonistgeneluenyang https://www.instagram.com/geneluenyang/ Additional links Visual Scripting: using InDesign to write comics

Jon Chad joins us to discuss the realease his new book, "Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball" from First Second Books. Jon's work is amazing and this book is fun for all ages. To order "Pinball", please visit either: or   You can also order from your local comics or book store. To see some of Jon's other work, please visit       You can reach me at foramusementonlypodcast@gmail.com or via the bingos line at 724-BINGOS-1 You can listen to the show on Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter (bingopodcast) or follow me on Instagram (also bingopodcast). The show's website is   If you like video games (and some limited pinball talk), you might enjoy Gaming on Ten at   Thank you very much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.

Jordan Morris from Jordan Jesse Go! And artist Tony Cliff (Delilah Kirk) come by to chat about their new graphic

For July's Portrait of an Editors, I'm shining the POE spotlight on some of the folks at Random House Graphic. This is the second of three interviews, and for this one, I had a chance to talk with the company's Publishing Director, Gina Gagliano. She covers everything from her start in publishing at First Second Books to creating and running the day-to-day of RHG and other things like designing covers and being part of a big publishing house.

Clint McElroy is a radio legend in Huntington, West Virginia, a host and co-creator of The Adventure Zone podcast, and a comics writer whose credits include The Green Hornet, War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery, and 3 Ninjas Kick Back.And he's got another graphic novel coming out in July! The Adventure Zone vol. 4: The Crystal Kingdom is co-written by Clint and his kids, illustrated by Carey Pietsch, and published by First Second Books. Ask your local comics shop order you a copy of the softcover version with Previews order code MAY211456 or the hardcover version with Previews order code MAY211457.Clint's first children's book, Goldie's Guide to Grandparenting, has also just been published by First Second/Macmillan Books. Learn more about that right here. Contribute to our Patreon at the $4/month level to get access to our bonus feed, which contains an extended version of this episode that contains more than 35 minutes of extra content, including an extended conversation about Jack Kirby, our detailed discussion of Jim Steranko's Captain America #111, and a few thoughts about Vince Colletta.That same pledge level gets you access to our Omnibus companion episode, which covers all of the December 1968 issues that we didn't get to in this episode (that were available on Marvel Unlimited, anyway).Stories Covered In Detail This Episode:"The Name Is Doom!" - Fantastic Four #84, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby w/Joe Sinnott, ©1968 Marvel Comics"Shall a God Prevail?" - Thor #161, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby w/Vince Colletta, ©1968 Marvel Comics"Marvel by the Month" theme v. 2.0 by Robb Milne, sung by Barb Allen, with bass by Ryan ‘Biff’ Dudder. All incidental music by Robb Milne. Visit us on internet at marvelbythemonth.com, follow us on Instagram at @marvelbythemonth and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/marvelbythemonth.Much of our historical context information comes from Wikipedia. Please join us in supporting them at wikimediafoundation.org.

The apocalypse need not be scary when you've got your Scooby gang nearby. Bubble, the new graphic novel from First Second Books began its life as a narrative podcast and now thrives within the four-color form thanks to creator Jordan Morris, his co-writer Sarah Morgan, artist Tony Cliff, and colorist Natalie Riess. The comic is a whip-smart and hilarious spin through a dystopian future where the gig economy has run amuck. Microbrewery hipsters are bad enough but toss in a few rampaging imps and their hops-hot-takes don't taste as sour as they once did.   We're downright giddy to have both Tony Cliff and Jordan Morris on this show this week. We chat about the adaptation process, but more importantly, we get into the relationships of these characters. And yeah, we force Jordan and Tony to partake in one of our relationship quizzes. And they bring their Cosmo game hard.   If you want to hear an extended cut of this interview, join our Patreon community by clicking HERE. There, Jordan and Tony discuss what they've been watching, and name their OTP comic book couples.   Bubble hits bookstores on July 13th. If you're like us, you're already buying all the First Second releases, but if you need a link for more info on where to score your copy, click HERE. You can track down Jordan via his Twitter feed HERE or his new Instagram account HERE. For all things Tony Cliff, visit his website HERE.   Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.   Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Cartoonist Gene Luen Yang (https://geneyang.com/) talks about teaching, winning awards, developing his talents, creating stories for New-Superman and Shang-Chi, and more! 0:00 SEGMENT 1: Gene Luen Yang talks about selling his comics to his classmates in 5th grade, how “DC Comics Presents #57” started his obsession with comics, writing for the Shang-Chi miniseries, winning a Harvey Award for “Superman Smashes the Klan”, Chinese-American representation in comics, and working on “New-Superman”. 14:24 SEGMENT 2: Gene Luen Yang talks about which comic book character he would like to take on next, loving DC’s Fourth World characters and Marvel’s Frogman, being a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program, and teaching high-school for 17 years. 22:43 SEGMENT 3: Gene Luen Yang talks about winning 2 Harvey Awards in 2020, creating a support system by meeting fellow artists at conventions and going to Art Night in the Bay Area, labeling himself as a cartoonist instead of an artist or writer, and which creators are his biggest inspirations. 31:10 SEGMENT 4: Gene Luen Yang talks about which of his works is his favorite, Shang-Chi fighting different Marvel characters in each issue of his new series, his involvement in the Shang-Chi movie, and seeking out specific artists and writers for his projects. 40:03 SEGMENT 5: Gene Luen Yang talks about creating new books with First Second Books and shares his plans for future conventions. Thanks to our sponsors Marcus Theatres (https://www.marcustheatres.com/) and Historic St. Charles, Missouri (https://www.discoverstcharles.com/)! Amazon Affiliate Link - http://bit.ly/geektome Buy Me a Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/3Y0D2iaZl Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/GeekToMeRadio Website - http://geektomeradio.com/ Podcast - https://anchor.fm/jamesenstall YouTube - youtube.com/c/GeekToMeRadio Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GeekToMeRadio/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/geektomeradio Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/geektomeradio/ Producer - Joseph Vosevich https://twitter.com/Joey_Vee --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jamesenstall/support

Mariko Tamaki & Rosemary Valero-O'Connell tear through our emotions as we tackle their Eisner Award-winning "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me." Their high school romance offers an authentically painful insight into young love with all its beauty and tragedy. It's impossible to come away from the reading experience without some sense of relatability and hope that those that read this graphic novel won't make the same mistakes you did in your formative years. In this episode, Brad & Lisa describe their own relationships with advice columns and how Freddy's isolation leaves few options other than her anonymous emails to self-help guru Anna Vice. Sometimes, when we're in the thick of romantic despair, we don't recognize the support system already surrounding us. This week's comic: "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me," written by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, and published by First Second Books. Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren. Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art @Karen_XmenFan.

Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second Books, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award finalist. His other works include the Secret Coders series (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), New Super-Man from DC Comics (with various artists), and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Dark Horse Comics (with Gurihiru). He was the fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and in 2016 he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

First Second Books editor Robyn Chapman joins Jason this week to discuss Stuck Rubber Baby, one of the finest graphic novels of the 1990s and a brilliant exploration of LGBTQ awakening, the civil rights movement and much more. As Jason and Robyn discuss, this is a graphic novel of rare beauty and depth, the product of a brilliant cartoonist at the absolute top of his skills. Hope you enjoy and please leave feedback on Apple Podcasts if you do. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/classiccomics/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/classiccomics/support

In this episode, I talk with Bay Area-based Illustrator, Graphic Novelist & Teacher Nidhi Chanani. We talk about Nidhi’s journey as an illustrator and serendipitous beginnings as a graphic novelist, comics as a platform for marginalized voices, her upcoming film adaption of her graphic novel ‘Pashmina’ on Netflix and much more. From her website: Nidhi Chanani is a freelance illustrator, cartoonist and writer. After completing her undergrad literature degree at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Nidhi pursued a career in non-profits. The desire to draw kept pulling her away and in 2008 she enrolled in art school (only to drop out a year later). In 2009 she began completing one illustration every day of the week. She called this Every Day Love and developed her narrative style and voice with three years of daily practice. Thus began her art career and business. Nidhi was born in Calcutta and raised in suburban southern California. She creates because it makes her happy – with the hope that it can make others happy, too. In April of 2012 she was honored by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change. Her debut graphic novel, Pashmina, was released by First Second Books in fall 2017. It received starred reviews in the School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and was reviewed in the New York Times. In March of 2019, the film adaptation of Pashmina with Netflix was announced. Gurinder Chadha is set to direct. In 2018, Jasmine’s New Pet, which she wrote, drew and colored released through Dark Horse Comics. Her first bilingual board book, Shubh Raatri Dost/Good Night Friend released in 2019 through Bharat Babies. Her debut picture book, written by Bea Birdsong, I will be fierce, released in April 2019. She is currently working on her second original graphic novel, Jukebox, with her husband Nick Giordano which is slated for 2021 release. She is an instructor in the Master of Fine Arts, Comics program at the California College of Arts. Her media appearances include CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and BBC Radio. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, the Women’s March, My Modern Met, Bored Panda and India Times. Nidhi has worked with Disney, ABC, Airbnb, Sony, Microsoft, State Farm Insurance and a variety of other clients. Her non-fiction comics have appeared in the Nib. Everyday Love Art products are sold in retail shops across the country, including the San Francisco International Airport, Books Inc., and Therapy stores. Nidhi draws and dreams every day with her husband, kid and their attention starved cat in the San Francisco Bay Area. Website Instagram Find us on all your favorite platforms including: Apple Spotify YouTube Facebook Instagram

Jimmy attended the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF)! He did 10 interviews including these with good friend Vera Greentea and new pal Mei-Li Nieuwland! What can we expect from Vera's first graphic novel GRIMOIRE NOIR from First Second Books?  How does Mei-Li juggle art, cultural anthropology and archery? Listen in to find out! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love! Also, get a hold of us!   Thanks for listening!

Jimmy went to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF)! He got 10 interviews including this one with Colleen AF Venable & Ellen Crenshaw. Hear them discuss their most recent book KISS NUMBER 8 (First Second Books). Sure they discuss the book but get off on a tangent several times making each other laugh throughout! Colleen suggested the 3 of them start their own morning radio show. Just awaiting for iHeart Radio and/or Sirius XM to start calling. Any moment now. Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love! Also, get a hold of us!   Thanks for listening!

The town of Haverdale has seen better days. Really any day was better than the one that wiped it off of the map. But it wasn't a total lose. Killian was able to complete her mission, and she even offered the boys a job. What could possibly go wrong? If you enjoyed listening to Scottye, check out all of his podcasts by going to his website aloadofpurebs.com and checking out what he has to offer. You can also fin d him on Twitter @Scottyemo. Do you have a story arc you'd like us to cover? Send us your ideas. Twitter: @comicrundown Instagram: comicbookrundown Email: comicbookrundown@gmail.com Hosted by Joe Janero and Scottye Moore Edited by Joe Janero Opening theme edited by Pete Piekarski, Jr. Music by Peter McIssac Music and can be found with tons of other amazing tracks at Premiumbeat.com

The battle is won! Now the Tres Horny Boys can take Bogard and leave the cave. Oh wait. They can't? Bogard wants the treasure? Well shit! I'm guessing this isn't going to end well. If you enjoyed listening to Scottye, check out all of his podcasts by going to his website aloadofpurebs.com and checking out what he has to offer. You can also fin d him on Twitter @Scottyemo. Do you have a story arc you'd like us to cover? Send us your ideas. Twitter: @comicrundown Instagram: comicbookrundown Email: comicbookrundown@gmail.com Hosted by Joe Janero and Scottye Moore Edited by Joe Janero Opening theme edited by Pete Piekarski, Jr. Music by Peter McIssac Music and can be found with tons of other amazing tracks at Premiumbeat.com

The Tres Horny Boys are traveling through yet another cave on this new quest to save Bogard. They meet up with an orc named Killian, the villainous Black Spider by the name of Magic Brian, and a literal giant black spider also named Bryan. If you enjoyed listening to Scottye, check out all of his podcasts by going to his website aloadofpurebs.com and checking out what he has to offer. You can also fin d him on Twitter @Scottyemo. Do you have a story arc you'd like us to cover? Send us your ideas. Twitter: @comicrundown Instagram: comicbookrundown Email: comicbookrundown@gmail.com Hosted by Joe Janero and Scottye Moore Edited by Joe Janero Opening theme edited by Pete Piekarski, Jr. Music by Peter McIssac Music and can be found with tons of other amazing tracks at Premiumbeat.com

On this episode, Scottye and I go over the next three chapters. The trio rescue Barry, find Merle's missing cousins, and enjoy a seemingly peaceful travel montage. If you enjoyed listening to Scottye, check out all of his podcasts by going to his website aloadofpurebs.com and checking out what he has to offer. You can also fin d him on Twitter @Scottyemo. Do you have a story arc you'd like us to cover? Send us your ideas. Twitter: @comicrundown Instagram: comicbookrundown Email: comicbookrundown@gmail.com Hosted by Joe Janero and Scottye Moore Edited by Joe Janero Opening theme edited by Pete Piekarski, Jr. Music by Peter McIssac Music and can be found with tons of other amazing tracks at Premiumbeat.com

On this episode, Scottye from The BS Network joins me as we discuss The Adventure Zone's first story arc in graphic novel form. That's right, we're a podcast, talking about a book, that is based on a podcast. It works out somehow. If you enjoyed listening to Scottye, check out all of his podcasts by going to his website aloadofpurebs.com and checking out what he has to offer. You can also fin d him on Twitter @Scottyemo. Do you have a story arc you'd like us to cover? Send us your ideas. Twitter: @comicrundown Instagram: comicbookrundown Email: comicbookrundown@gmail.com Hosted by Joe Janero and Scottye Moore Edited by Joe Janero Opening theme edited by Pete Piekarski, Jr. Music by Peter McIssac Music and can be found with tons of other amazing tracks at Premiumbeat.com

In the deepest reaches of space, young love blossoms and fades. Told via two distinct timelines, we explore the relationship between Mia & Grace as they discover their feelings for each other and are denied a proper ending by outside forces beyond their control. "On a Sunbeam" is an epic blend of science-fiction and fantasy that recalls Studio Ghibli as much as it does Ridley Scott's "Alien." Creator Tillie Walden has no desire to explain her universe or her characters; she simply drops you into the environment and expects the reader to catch up. Brad & Lisa close out their month of exploring love beyond the heteronormative with another brilliant publication from First Second Books, and they wrap up their conversation surrounding Dr. Stan Tatkin's "Wired for Dating." They celebrate the joys of quiet love and discuss the art of fighting. Arguments will happen, so it's best to come to each conflict with empathy. As always, follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast and follow hosts Brad & Lisa @MouthDork & @sidewalksiren. 

This month we’re exploring romances beyond the heteronormative and we’re applying Stan Tatkin’s "Wired for Dating" to their relationship woes. We’re kicking it off with Ari and Hector from the new graphic novel from First Second Books, "Bloom" by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau.  Brad & Lisa look into the budding romance of Ari & Hector and ask the big questions, "Do relationships require hard work?" "Do we have to love ourselves before someone can love us?" "Is being happy enough of a 5-year plan?" With the help of Dr. Tatkin, we observe Ari stumble his way into a "secure-and-functioning" relationship. As always, don't forget to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast. If you're feeling a little extra stalker-y track down the whereabouts of our hosts @MouthDork and @sidewalksiren.

In this episode, Ben, Will, and Zack discuss Tillie Walden's tremendous On a Sunbeam from First Second Books.

Your editor will edit your book! But what else does an editor at a publishing house do? They're the first person at a publishing house to get excited about a book and how amazing it is. How do they work with all the rest of the people at the publishing house -- their boss, the other editorial and design staff, and the marketing, publicity, and sales staff -- to make sure that everyone realizes just how great a book they have on their hands? How much of their job is managing that conversation -- what's involved, and when does it happen? And how important is it for editors to be on top of what other people at the company are planning with the books they work on? To learn more about how editors advocate for their books with other people at their publishing house, we talk to Connie Hsu, the Executive Editor at Roaring Brook Press. In addition to working at Roaring Brook Press, Connie also edits graphic novels for Roaring Brook's sister company, First Second Books, where she works with many graphic novelists, including Tillie Walden, Jason Walz, Marcus Emerson, Dan Santat, and Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham. Want to know more about Connie Hsu? You can follow her on Twitter at @MissConnieH

There are times in a young persons life that will define them. Often they happen when we are too young to really understand their significance. This week Kieran and Jonah discuss This One Summer, which exists in one of these moments. This book was voted on by you, our lovely Patrons. And speaking of our …

Time Codes: 00:33 - Introduction 02:55 - The Brain: The Ultimate Thinking Machine 17:31 - Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction 37:06 - Wrap up 38:00 - Contact us On this episode of the Comics Alternative's Young Readers series, Gwen and Krystal discuss two new releases: Tory Woollcott and Alex Graudins's The Brain: The Ultimate Thinking Machine, the most recent volume in First Second Books' Science Comicsseries, geared towards upper elementary and middle grade readers, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka's Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction, a YA comics memoir, published by Scholastic's Graphix imprint. To introduce Woollcott and Graudins' The Brain, Gwen and Krystal talk about non-fiction, informational comics for young readers, bringing up other volumes in the Science Comics series, such as M.K. Reed and Joe Flood's Dinosaurs, as well as Maris Wicks' Human Body Theater, and Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes' Secret Coders. Gwen explains that all of these texts place scientific or mathematical information within a fictional frame, and she summarizes the basic premise of The Brain, which places two sisters, Fahama and Nour, in a setting that is reminiscent of wacky 1960s and 1970s monster films or TV shows like The Munsters. Krystal praises Woollcott and Graundin's use of a diverse cast, both in terms of the principal characters and of the individuals who appear in illustrations of the way that the brain impacts human functioning. Both Krystal and Gwen detail some of the memorable spreads in the comic and view the text as an excellent story and reference book for young readers. Next, the two PhDs move on to a young adult graphic memoir, Jarrett J. Krosoczka's Hey, Kiddo, which is already earning critical acclaim and award buzz (it is a National Book Award finalist). Krosoczka is well-known as the author of nearly a dozen picture books and of the Lunch Lady graphic novel series, but Hey, Kiddo is his first YA offering. Gwen recommends Krosoczka's 2012 TED Talk “How a boy became an artist,” as well as his 2014 TED Talk on the Lunch Ladycomics. Both provide insight into Krosoczka's childhood influences and artistic choices. Krystal then gives a detailed description of the way Hey, Kiddo mirrors -- and expands upon -- many of the artist-focused coming of age narratives that have been popular in recent decades, including Alison Bechdel's Fun Home: A Family Tragicomedy (2006) and Özge Samanci's Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey (2015).  Krystal also applauds Krosoczka's use of line style and color in commenting on memory, and Gwen testifies to the author's ability to evoke a convincing depiction of 1970s New England. Both reviewers love this text and highly recommend it for teens and adults. The Young Readers series will be on hiatus in December, but Gwen and Krystal will be back in January with a look at some of the YA graphic novel highlights of 2018.    

Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:03:03 - Fare-thee-well to Paul! 00:05:51 - The Cardboard Kingdom 00:28:41 - All Summer Long 00:44:11 -Be Prepared 01:06:46 - Wrap up 01:08:09 - Contact us On this episode of the Comics Alternative's Young Readers show, Gwen and Derek discuss summer 2018 new releases, all geared to middle-grade readers. The first text, edited and illustrated by Chad Sell, is The Cardboard Kingdom, released by Random House Graphic. Readers learn about the lives and dreams of a group of neighborhood kids in short stories written by Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Kris Moore, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, Cloud Jacobs, and Barbara Perez Marquez. The second text they discuss is Hope Larson's All Summer Long from Farrar Straus Giroux. And finally, Gwen and Derek review Vera Brosgol's long-awaited memoir, Be Prepared, released by First Second Books. They start by reviewing a comic that demonstrates the experimentation that is currently taking place in the young reader category: Chad Sell's edited collection of connected short stories, The Cardboard Kingdom. Set in a suburban neighborhood and featuring a truly diverse and engaging group of young kids, these stories show how imagination can function as a coping device. Young reader short story collections are not entirely new. Random House has also supported the Comics Squadseries, edited by Jennifer Holm and a rotating cast of co-editors, that have included themed volumes on "Recess," "Lunch," and "Detention." However, this short story collection boast only one artist, Chad Sell, and is presented as a cohesive narrative, with authors identified only at the end of the text. As such, the comic has a more cohesive feel, rather than a collection of fundamentally different stories that are linked only by theme. After that, Gwen and Derek check out Hope Larson's All Summer Long. This is the story of a 13-year-old, Bina, and her attempts to find meaning over the course of a summer. Growing up, she had been used to spending the summer with her best friend Austin, but during this particular summer, Austin goes off to soccer camp, leaving Bina to fend for herself. And part of this fending includes Austin's aggressive older sister, Charlie. This is a book all about growing up and finding your way over the course of significant life changes. Finally, Gwen and Derek discuss Vera Brosgol's BePrepared. This memoir focuses on the summer between 4th and 5th grades, when she attends Russian summer camp in the hope of finding friends with whom she will have something in common. The opening vignette in the novel focuses on young Vera's sense of cultural and economic isolation: as an immigrant from Russia and the daughter of a single mom living in a prosperous east coast suburb, she is often slow to pick up on the latest trends -- such as American Girl dolls -- and unable to approximate the lavish birthday parties that her classmates' parents are able to throw for their children. At the end of the school year, Vera listens to the plans that her friends are making, attending girl scout camp, taking vacations to faraway destinations…and she feels left out again. However, at the Russian Orthodox church that she attends, Vera learns from Ksenya, a Sunday school friend, about Orra, a Russian heritage camp, and she is certain that it will not only be fun, but will give her something to talk about with her school friends in autumn. While the experience is certainly life changing, it nonetheless becomes something quite different than what Vera had expected.

There are a number of jobs in publishing that happen behind the scenes -- and one of them is the Managing Editor. In this episode, we talk to Jill Freshney about what's involved in being a Managing Editor (spoiler: it includes scheduling, data management, copy-editing, and a whole lot of other administrative management and process development/maintenance). Jill shares some information about how authors and Managing Editorial staff interact, how to deal with copy-edit changes, and thoughts on how to pursue a career in Managing Editorial. We're excited to share this look behind the scenes! Jill Freshney is the Senior Executive Managing Editor at Macmillan Children's Publishing Group -- a company that includes the graphic novel publisher First Second Books.

Reviews: Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special #1,  Blackwood #1, Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey Special #1, Flash/Speed Buggy Special #1, Man Of Steel Vol 2 #1, Star Wars Lando Double Or Nothing #1, Super Sons/Dynomutt Special #1  Crazy schedules means a solo episodes with friends sending in their audio reviews! Thanks to Marta, Ashley, Jon, Rachael, Erica, Emily and Adam for those awesome reviews. Jimmy went to Book Expo America last week and sat down with cartoonist Ngozi Ukazu to talk about her webcomic Check, Please! that is being collected by First Second Books later this year. They have a great chat about how the project came to be, the characters, art, and of course, hockey. Jimmy also gives his thoughts on BEA and Book Con. News includes: a new scripted teen crime series podcast is coming from Alex Segura/Monica Gallagher,  Comixology is releasing creator owned titles, Archie 1941 will be a mini-series showing a more realistic look at the Riverdale gang back in the 40's and more! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love! Also, get a hold of us! Thanks for listening!

Main Fiction: "What You Can Change" by Michael HaynesOriginally published in Kazka PressMichael Haynes lives in Central Ohio. An ardent short story reader and writer, Michael’s stories have appeared in publications such as Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Nature. He’s the chair of the Cinevent classic film convention and enjoys photography, geocaching, and travel. He can be found online at http://michaelhaynes.info/ and on Twitter as @mohio73Narrated by: Cian Mac MahonCian Mac Mahon is an Irish Software Engineer who in a past life was the world’s youngest professional podcaster, ran a radio station and very nearly ended up being a journalist. While he hopes to some day revive his show which podfaded many years ago, he now spends most of his free time playing about with cameras and cooking, as old microphones and sound-desks lurk in the shadows, right at the edge of eyesight. Short Fiction: "A Wrinkle Ironed Out" by Alison Wilgus Originally published in Daily Science Fiction Alison Wilgus is a Brooklyn-based writer for comics and prose, with graphic novels both recent and upcoming about human spaceflight, aviation, and time travel (alas, not at the same time) from Tor and First Second Books. Her short fiction has previously appeared on Strange Horizons, Terraform, and Daily Science Fiction, although her proudest recent prose accomplishment was having been paid to write about Jean-Luc Picard and Ellen Ripley hooking up at a conference. She tweets as @AliWilgus and you can find many of her comics and stories at alisonwilgus.com. Narrated by: Amy H. SturgisAmy H. Sturgis holds a Ph.D. in Intellectual History from Vanderbilt University and specializes in both Science Fiction and Indigenous American Studies. Since 2008, she has been contributing monthly “Looking Back at Genre History” segments to StarShipSofa. Editor in Chief of Hocus Pocus Comics and faculty at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Sturgis lives with her husband in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. Learn more about her award-winning work at amyhsturgis.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The first interactive #Resnackulous! I also talk about the new iPhone models and show some love to First Second Books. Lastly, find out how to get a discount on tickets to Adler After Dark.

Jimmy was at TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) over the weekend and got a ton of great interviews! He had a lengthy, informative, and fun chat with Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham! The writer and artist team on Real Friends from First Second Books. They talk about their childhoods (the book is about Shannon's elementary school years), their friendship, how the book came about, cliques, growing up, diversity in comics and more! Thanks to Shannon and LeUyen for being so patient and for being such great conversationalists! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love! Also, get a hold of us! Thanks for listening!

This week, we're thrilled to finally welcome Gene Luen Yang to the show - in style! I can't believe it's taken us this long to have him on the GBBP. Yang's books have been nominated for the National Book Award (American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for the award) and pretty much every other major literary award. He's won the Eisner, is currently the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, and recently was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant. He's kind of a big deal. On this episode, we talk about the initiative and the response it's gotten, getting more kids and families into libraries, writing outside of your lived experiences, working through rejection, and combating gendered labels and stereotypes when it comes to books.

Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:03:08 - Introducing Paul Lai as new YR cohost 00:04:50 - A farewell message from Andy Wolverton 00:07:12 - Bats: Learning to Fly 00:31:39 - NewsPrints 01:00:37 - Wrap up 01:01:11 - Contact us Changes   The Comics Alternative extends a warm welcome to Paul Lai, who has taken over from Andy Wolverton as co-host with Gwen Tarbox on the Young Readers show. Everyone at The Comics Alternative family will miss Andy's wise and engaging reviews and perspectives on children's and young adult comics. In their first show together, Gwen and Paul discuss the newest volume in First Second Books' Science Comics series, Falynn Christine Koch's Bats: Learning to Fly, as well as Ru Xu's fiction (“diesel-punk,” as Paul terms it) graphic novel NewsPrints, published by the GRAPHIX imprint at Scholastic Books. Since its launch in 2016, the Science Comics series has included volumes on coral reefs, volcanoes, and dinosaurs. Geared towards upper elementary and middle school aged readers, Science Comics take advantage of the elements of visual storytelling to put forward scientific information. As the editors point out: “With the increasing ubiquity of visual information,” young readers need to “learn to process and respond to visual content, and comics are an incredibly effective medium for exploring visual literacy.” Regular listeners to the podcast may remember that Gwen and Andy reviewed Dinosaurs by M.K. Reed and Joe Flood in their March 2016 YR show, and many of the elements that they praised, including the accessibility of scientific information, as well as the use of humor, appear in Koch's volume, as well. Bats: Learning to Fly encourages young readers to understand the important role that bats play in the ecosystem, to overcome their fear of bats, and to learn how they can become involved in protecting and caring for bats. In addition to providing a great deal of information on various species of Bats, Koch creates a narrative in which a teenage girl, Sarah, volunteers at a bat rehabilitation center after her parents overreact to a bat and injure it. Lil' Brown, as the bat is known, is both a character in that narrative and a narrative presence in his own right, as he directly addresses the reader at various points regarding his own anatomy and role in the ecosystem. As part of their discussion, Paul and Gwen consider how young readers might respond to the way information is imparted in the comic, and they look forward to Koch's upcoming volume for the Science Comics series, Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield, due out in August, 2017. Koch recently graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and Gwen and Paul discuss how her precision drawings and humor-filled text combine to create a text that will delight readers, while encouraging them to appreciate how they can play a role in scientific study by volunteering to rehabilitate bats or building bat houses for their backyards. Next, Gwen and Paul discuss another debut comic from a SCAD graduate. NewsPrints is written and drawn by Ru Xu, a comics creator who was born in Beijing, immigrated to Indianapolis as a young child, and has had a lifelong love of comics from a variety of traditions, including manga, European comics, and even superhero comics. NewsPrints takes place in a fictional diesel-punk world where the land of Nautilene is torn by war and a newspaper called The Bugle is the only media outlet left that is still reporting the truth. The protagonist, Blue, is a rare kind of newsboy in a society that counts on its newsboys to shout out the headlines and sell papers…and that's because Blue is not a boy, but a girl, orphaned by the war and adopted by the family who owns the newspaper. Blue sets out to provide that one doesn't have to be a boy to be vital in the news business, and along the way, readers are introduced to a cast of characters such as Jack, the eccentric and secretive inventor; Crow, a strange kid who remains wrapped in a scarf and in mysteries of his own; and Goldie, Blue's loyal canary, who matches Blue's welcoming of people and spirit of flight. As part of their discussion, Paul and Gwen praise Xu's mastery of many genres of comics, including her ability to meld various traditional forms into an entirely unique story world. Thus, while the text shares much in common with recent fantasy releases, including Faith Erin Hicks' The Nameless City and Jorge Corona's Feathers, NewsPrints stands on its own, with a vast, inviting story space and a focus on issues of truth and representation that are ever more a part of our own political and social climate. Paul praised Xu's deft handling of interactions among characters, and Gwen expressed her admiration for Xu's use of color and shading to help set the mood and to ease transitions across the comic. Given the book's indeterminate ending, Paul and Gwen look forward to the series continuing into additional volumes, and they dwell on Xu's treatment of gender and ethnicity in thoughtful ways. Get your copies of the titles discussed on this episode:  

Time Codes: 00:25 - Introduction 02:50 - Context for the First Second spotlight 05:56 - Brief mention of Mighty Jack 06:56 - Varmints 11:46 - Quirk's Quest: Into the Outlands 27:52 - Bera the One-Headed Troll 39:18 - The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo 55:44 - Wrap up 57:03 - Contact us Gwen and Andy are back with something different for the Young Readers edition of The Comics Alternative: their very first publisher spotlight on First Second Books. The Two People with PhDs have looked at many First Second books in the past, but this time they're looking at the publisher's fall selections. (Since they covered Ben Hatke's Mighty Jack in their August show, Gwen and Andy give it just a brief mention here, but you should definitely check it out!) They begin with Andy Hirsch's Varmints, a wild adventure set in the Old West with sister and brother Opie and Ned, searching for the man who shot their ma. If you like Western stories filled with action, action, and more action, this is the book for you. (And don't miss the Comics Alternative interview with Andy Hirsch!) Next, they turn to Quirk's Quest: Into the Outlands by Robert Christie and Deborah Lang, an exploration adventure with the crew of the H.M.S. Gwaniimander under the command of Captain Quenterindy Quirk. Quirk's voyage quickly meets with a near disaster as his crew discovers a land of deadly giants, a valley of weird creatures, and a sorceress who may or may not have the crew's best interests in mind. Christie and Lang's characters may look like something out of a Jim Henson production, but the world they've created is unique and compelling. Eric Orchard's Bera the One-Headed Troll is yet a different type of quest story, this one featuring the titular troll and her owl companion Winslowe as they discover an abandoned human baby on their pumpkin patch island. Everyone seems to want the child for their own nefarious purposes, but Bera is determined to keep the baby safe from mermaids, witches, and a creature called Cloote, the former head witch of the Troll King. Orchard's wonderfully bizarre illustrations combine with masterful storytelling that's filled with humor and depth. Finally, the Two People with PhDs look at The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo by Drew Weing, the story of a young girl who's a “monster mediator,” someone who patrols the streets of Echo City for trolls, ogres, and ghosts. And they're all afraid of her! (Note: Sean and Derek discussed the online version of this series in the June webcomics episode.) Andy and Gwen both agree that Margo Maloo is a spectacular story, but it's so much more. It's also a book that works on multiple levels touching on the fears, prejudices, and anxieties of us all. First Second is a treasure trove of great books and Gwen and Andy hope that you'll want to read them all!

Lucy Knisley is an award winning, new york times best selling, cartoonist, illustrator, and teacher. Her work has been published through Marvel, Valiant, Boom Studios!, and First Second Books. She has been a guest speaker and lectured at many events including San Diego Comic Con, New York Comic Con, SPX, and The Toronto Comic Arts Festival. And she is the creator of the graphic novels, An Age of Innocence, Displacement, French Milk, Relish and Something New!

At New York Comic Con, Jimmy chatted at the First Second booth with Box Brown (Tetris: The Games People Play), Falynn Koch (Science Comics: Bats: Learning to Fly) and Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy: Re-Entry). Coincidentally, all of those comics are published by the awesome First Second Books! Box talks about the history of Tetris, Nintendo and the legal battles involving the game. Falynn gives you all the info you ever needed to know about bats as well as her love of mac and cheese. And Dave talks about his all ages tale of friendship, fun and frolic! Do yourself a favor and go check out the extensive catalog by First Second. You won't be disappointed. Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love! Also, get a hold of us! Thanks for listening!

Graphic Policy has a brand new episode with guest Joseph Illidge. Joseph joins Brett and Elana to discuss the upcoming Solarman from Scout Comics as well as his impressive career. After a twenty-five year hiatus Solarman returns! Ben Tucker is a teenage hacker going after the wealthy and corrupt, fighting bullies, and living in his father's basement. When a mysterious alien attacks a space station conducting secret experiments, Ben is accidentally exposed to extraterrestrial technology and imbued with nuclear-based power. Now Ben Tucker is a fugitive from the police, an alien menace, and a paramilitary division hunting him down, with the intention to capture...or kill. Joseph Phillip Illidge is a public speaker on the subjects of race, comics and the corporate politics of diversity. In addition to his coverage by The New York Times, CNN Money, the BBC and Publishers Weekly, Joseph has been a speaker at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Digital Book World’s forum, Digitize Your Career: Marketing and Editing 2.0, Skidmore College, The School of Visual Arts, Purdue University, on the panel “Diversity in Comics: Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexual Orientation in American Comic Books” and at the Soho Gallery for Digital Art in New York City. Joseph is the Head Writer for Verge Entertainment. His graphic novel project, “The Ren,” about the romance between a young musician from the South and a Harlem-born dancer in 1925, set against the backdrop of a crime war, will be published by First Second Books, a division of Macmillan.

Finishing up our month of First Second Books, Kurtis and Michael take a look at Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling. If you recall, they reviewed the first book in an earlier episode. How does this one compare? Listen and find out! If you have a comic that you would like us to pull, please […]

Continuing our First Second Books month, we look at the two-volume Battling Boy prequel series, Rise of the Aurora West and Fall of the House of West. How do these books compare to Battling Boy and what do we hope for in the future of this unique world? Listen to find out! Tell us what […]

This week, we're thrilled to have Faith Erin Hicks on the show! Faith is an Eisner Award-winning author and illustrator whose newest book, The Nameless City, is out now from First Second Books. In this episode, we chat about The Nameless City (the first book in a planned trilogy), finding a niche for your own creativity, the reality of working in the comics industry, and our mutual love for Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain series.

This month we celebrate with First Second Books on their tenth anniversary by picking three of their recent releases! First up is The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks. Mike and Kurtis are both thrilled with this book, but take a listen to find out what makes it so good! If you know a comic […]

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of First Second Books, I interviewed several authors and artists who have published books with them: Maris Wicks, Jim Ottaviani, Faith Erin Hicks, Box Brown, Lucy Knisley, and Ben Hatke.

Welcome to January! As the guys do at the beginning of every month, they use this time to discuss the solicits in the latest Previews catalog. And there's a lot packed into the January issue, starting with a rundown of the 50 titles that will be featured this coming Free Comic Book Day. Gene and Derek are particularly looking forward to the FCBD comics coming out from Fantagraphics, Archie Comics, First Second Books, Image Comics, Drawn & Quarterly, Top Shelf, VIZ Media, and Nobrow. After that brief detour, they get into the catalog proper, highlight upcoming releases from publishers such as Dark Horse Comics - Death Follows, The Massive: Library Edition, Vol. 1, Bird Boy, Vol. 1: The Sword of Mali Mani, and Trump: The Complete Collection DC/Vertigo - Kingdom Come: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition and Suiciders: Kings of HelL.A. #1, IDW Publishing - Star Trek: The Classic UK Comics, Vol. 1, Johnny Boo, Book 7, and Paracuellos Image Comics - Circuit Breaker #1, The Discipline #1, and The Rattler Abrams ComicArts - The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded and Woody Guthrie and the Dust Bowl Ballads Alternative Comics - Compulsive Comics, Bartkira, Ohio Is for Sale, and Power Button #0 American Gothic Press - Lost in Space #1 Amulet Books - Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales, Vol. 6: Alamo All-Stars Bliss on Tap - Future Proof #10 BOOM! Studios - Turncoat #1 and The Baker Street Peculiars #1 Canton Street Press - Eerie Comics #1: Replica Edition Devil's Due/First Comics - Delete #1 Digital Manga - Captain Ken, Vol. 3 Dynamite Entertainment - Vampirella (Vol. 3) #1 Drawn and Quarterly - The Birth of Kitaro and Carpet Sweeper Tales Fantagraphics Books - Patience and Outer Limits: The Steve Ditko Archives, Vol. 6 First Second - Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling and The Glorkian Warrior, Vol. 3: The Mustache of Destiny NBM - Thoreau: A Sublime Life One Peace Books - Belushi: On a Mission from God Overground Comics - Oh, Hell #1 Pantheon Books - The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (Regular Edition) SelfMadeHero - H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow over Innsmouth Simon & Schuster - The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death under Soviet Rule Titan Comics - Loan Sloane: Delirius 2 Viz Media - Goodnight Punpun, Vol. 1 and One-Punch Man, Vol. 5 Youneek Studios - E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams, Vol. 1 Time Out - Time Out Shortlist: Gotham and Metropolis Guidebook All in all, Gene and Derek have a fun time thumbing through the January Previews catalog, making their checklists for comics they want to read, titles they'd like to discuss on the podcast, and creators they want to interview in the coming year.

For this episode, Gwen and Derek team up for another Publisher Spotlight episode, this one on First Second Books and their fall releases. The titles they discuss include Paul Pope, JT Petty, David Rubin's Battling Boy: The Fall of the House of West; Balak, Michael Sanlaville, and Bastien Vives's Last Man: The Chase; Jean-David Morvan and Dominique Bertail's Omaha Beach on D-Day; Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes's Secret Coders; Maris Wicks's Human Body Theater; Ian Lendler and Zack Giallongo's The Stratford Zoo Midnight Review Presents Romeo and Juliet; and Chris Duffy's edited collection, Fable Comics.

The power couple discusses Exquisite Corpse, a graphic novel from Penelope Bagieu, originally published in France in 2010 and brought to the US this year by First Second Books. We both loved this book and would recommend it to anyone. We also talk about the new Fantastic Four movie, directed by Josh Trank and starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jaimie Bell. Hear what we thought about the movie and the noise surrounding its production/results at the box office. Finally, Charlene's Notable this week was the upcoming movie Pod, an intense looking new horror movie from director Mickey Keating. Eamon's Notable this week was Jon Stewart's last episode of The Daily Show, which ended an amazingly influential run in late night television.

There is nothing easy about making comics, whether it's the art or the storytelling. Just flipping through the first few pages of your favorite story can be enough to intimidate even the hardiest of the artists out there. It really does take a fair amount of chutzpah to want to make comics. But fear not, for there are things out there that may not make it easy for you but can, if nothing else, make it easier. And that's why we at Making Comics were excited to have assembled this group of people ranging from artists to editors, if not both, for the live Gutter Talk panel at this year's Comic Con in San Diego, because we just had a feeling that they would be the ones to provide both inspiration and very useful knowledge. Moderated by the Gutter Talk podcast host Adam Greenfield, the panel consisted of Mark Waid, writer of Daredevil and most recently the Archie comics, Christy Blanch, an educator and also writer for The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood, Chris Miskiewicz, the writer for Thomas Alsop, Rachel Dukes, creator of Frankie Comics, and Calista Brill, a senior editor with First Second Books. See what we mean? This panel was destined to be amazing and it certainly lived up to the billing. Download or stream the show and you'll see what we're talking about. Please also be sure to head over to iTunes and give us a rating and review. What you gain from doing this is tenfold compared to what we get out of it, and this is why we are doing what we are doing. From the new site to the future plans we have in store for everyone, it all becomes more viable when we become more visible. Music: "RetroFuture Clean" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

King Tideby Alison WilgusSome particular trick of the moon, the weather, and the Earth's closeness to the sun had pulled the tide all the way to 5th Avenue, a good half-block further uphill than usual. The city had put out an alert, so Jordyn knew to clear out the basement ahead of time. Their landlord was smart enough to have the foundation sealed years ago—that would be fine—but there wasn't much to be done for cardboard boxes and old futons. Those had to be kept above the tide line, or they were garbage.Full Transcript appears under the cut:----more----[Intro music plays]Hello! Welcome to GlitterShip episode 10 for June 11, 2015. I'm your host, Keffy, and I'm super excited to be sharing this story with you.It's only been a few days since I uploaded last week's episode, but I'm back. One of the other things that happened last weekend is that the Nebula Awards were given out. If you're not up on a lot of the science fiction awards, these are given out by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America and are voted on by the professional writers who are members of that organization.I'll provide a link to the complete short list in the transcript, (Nebula Awards) but I'd also like to congratulate the winners on the show.So!The winner of Best Novel was Jeff VanderMeer for Annihilation.Novella - which is like a really short book - went to Nancy Kress for Yesterday's Kin.Novelette - which is like a really long short story - went to Alaya Dawn Johnson for "A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i"And short story went to Ursula Vernon for "Jackalope Wives."The Andre Norton Award for Young Adult SF&F went to Alaya Dawn Johnson for Love Is the Drug.Congratulations to all the winners!Our story this week is "King Tide" by Alison Wilgus.Alison Wilgus is a writer of comics and prose, and currently working on nonfiction graphic novels for First Second Books. She also draws her own comics about space, cats, monster hunting, and very occasionally herself. She lives in Brooklyn.She is also one of the co-editors at The Sockdolager, which is a semiprozine at sockdolager.net. You may also remember the comics anthology called Beyond, which is an all-ages queer science fiction and fantasy comics anthology edited by Sfé R. Monster and Taneka Stotts. Alison wrote one of the comics for that anthology, which was illustrated by Anissa Espinoza. You can find more information about Beyond at beyondanthology.comKing Tideby Alison WilgusSome particular trick of the moon, the weather, and the Earth's closeness to the sun had pulled the tide all the way to 5th Avenue, a good half-block further uphill than usual. The city had put out an alert, so Jordyn knew to clear out the basement ahead of time. Their landlord was smart enough to have the foundation sealed years ago—that would be fine—but there wasn't much to be done for cardboard boxes and old futons. Those had to be kept above the tide line, or they were garbage.Her girlfriend, Mia, had paused on the first floor landing to breathe, a disintegrating tomb of Jordyn's family albums clutched in her hands. Its weight eased for a moment as she rested an edge on the railing. "We should toss these," Mia had said. "You digitized them years ago.""Oh, but it's not the same," Jordyn had said, and it wasn't.Now she sat cross-legged on their bed while Mia showered, a stack of albums on the duvet beside her and another open in her lap. She peered at the careful handwriting under each photograph, names and dates and in-jokes, most of them incomprehensible. The photos had been taken with cell phones and carefully printed out, an anachronism even then. Her grandmother had pressed hard when she wrote, and as Jordyn ran her fingertips over the pages she could feel indentations beneath the ink. The album smelled of dust and old glue and a worrying hint of mildew.Jordyn had copied one—taken a photo of a photo, found a place up in Bushwick that still did small print jobs, bought a silver frame secondhand at the Brooklyn Bazaar—and set it on the wooden dresser beside their bed. Her grandmother had taken it decades ago, when her mother was a little girl and the Gowanus canal only rarely ventured out onto the streets.In the photo, a small, smiling version of Jordyn's mother sat on the stoop of her grandparents' house. She was an almost-copy of herself: curly black hair, brown skin, freckles on her cheeks and bare shoulders. The house was yellow brick, with white-washed iron bars over the windows and a little flower garden tucked between the concrete stoop and the stairs down to the cellar. Her grandparents had bought it in the 1970s for very little money, and, at the time the photograph was taken, were rightly smug about their foresight. Back then they could have sold it for a million dollars to developers who'd have cheerfully replaced it with a narrow stack of condos.They'd stopped using the cellar after Hurricane Oscar. Hurricane Andrea had ruined the curtains and the carpets on the first floor, and they’d been forced to sell the house for little more than it cost to buy a new car.Jordyn lived just up the hill, now. The yellow house in her picture wasn't large—two stories and a basement—but on most days, its top story rose out of the lagoon. She liked to look at it from her roof in the late afternoon, when the warm golden sunshine made it look buttery and romantic. Like it had sounded in her mother's stories, back when she was still alive to tell them.The pipes thumped as Mia turned off the water. She walked out the bathroom in a cloud of steam, her stout brown body naked and dripping as she toweled off her hair. "Moon's out," she said.Jordyn closed the album in her lap and set it on top of the others. The bed creaked as she slid to the edge, tucked her feet into her slippers, stood up; she stretched her arms above her head and her muscles resettled. "It's a King Tide," she said. "Highest this year. By a lot."Mia pulled her head through a cotton tee shirt. "We should drink a couple beers on the roof.""Hah! In winter?"Mia shrugged.Jordyn opened the door to their apartment, then turned the lock so that the deadbolt would catch on the frame and keep the door ajar. Theirs was the top floor; they climbed one flight of steep marble stairway to the roof. Two bottles clinked together in Mia's hand, held by their necks between her fingers.The winter had been mild, but little mounds of rotten snow hid in the shadows, and Jordyn rubbed her arms through her sweatshirt as she walked across the tarpaper. Through the steam of her breath, she looked out over a city of brick and stone and water. Behind her swelled the high-rent higher ground of Park Slope, dry townhouses climbing up the hill to Prospect Park, Flatbush, Windsor Terrace, Crown Heights. Neighborhoods that emptied this time of year, when everyone escaped to their condos in Georgia.Before her, an archipelago.Real estate agents had started calling it "Gowanus Beach," which Jordyn thought was pretty misleading, even by real estate standards. At least when people said Red Hook was "The Venice of Kings County" that evoked a useful image: water-stained townhouses and floating wooden walkways, plastic kayaks tied up in front of corner bodegas, tanned women in sundresses puttering around in little zodiacs with outboard motors, the East River lapping at second story windowsills. "Gowanus Beach" implied sand, maybe sea-smooth stones, even the muddy shore of a lake. Nothing about "beach" said crumbling asphalt, or concrete gnawed away by the tides, or exposed rebar skeletons crumbling into rust, or the bloated carcasses of cheap student furniture bobbing up from drowned garden apartments.The wind was wet and heavy. Jordyn shivered and looked down at the rippling gray water. The tide had swallowed her grandparents' house entirely.Mia popped their bottles open on the low brick wall of the facade. They stood in the cold and looked at the city, at the full moon in the blue evening sky, at the waves. A trash barge puttered along the street below, pausing every half-block for building supers to add to its load. Jordyn could hear the siren of a fire boat, but couldn’t see the boat itself, nor the smoke.Jordyn took a sip from her beer, which was warm and tasted of hops and cardamom. "The tide's supposed to drop all the way down past Fourth Ave," she said. "I thought I might go for a walk."Mia pursed her lips. "It'll be dark.""It hasn't gone out this far in years.""Still." Mia nursed her beer in silence for a while, time measured out in the swish-pop of her sips. "When was your last tetanus shot?""Couple years ago. Remember? I fell off Madison's dock."Mia sighed. "Wear your reef shoes, all right?"The sirens faded. Jordyn stepped into the warm space beside Mia's body and slid an arm around her thick waist, tucking her hand into the far pocket of Mia's coat. "I'll be fine," she said.Anticipation kept Jordyn from sleeping soundly, and she woke before her alarm. She had dreamed about riding the old subway system her mother had told her about. She dressed by the amber light of the street lamps, pulled a coat on over her wetsuit, slipped her feet into her reef shoes. Kissed Mia on the forehead and closed their bedroom door.Mia had set the big flashlight to charge before they'd gone to bed. Jordyn took it, and her set of keys, locked up the apartment, descended the stairway in rubber-soled silence, and stepped out onto the empty sidewalk. The water was gone, but the tree wells were frozen with mud.As Jordyn walked downhill toward Fourth Avenue, below the usual tideline, she had to pick her away around soggy timber, hunks of old insulation, rusted soda cans, tangled knots of plastic shopping bags—the usual trail of city detritus left behind by high tide. She passed under the elevated boardwalk running along the east side of the avenue, a tourist attraction some mayor had built when she was a little girl. The wreckage of a gull had caught on one of the pilings.Beyond the boardwalk, crumbling asphalt dissolved into a sort of coarse black gravel, bits of the roadbed mixed in with the sand and soil and stones that had once supported it. In places, the steel tubes and concrete cylinders of the old infrastructure were exposed—gas lines, water mains, sewers, electricity. Round black holes gaped open, liquid noises echoing up from underground. Most of the old manhole covers had been stolen by trophy hunters years ago. Jordyn chose her steps carefully, eyes on the ground.Once she reached the buildings on the far side of the avenue, she paused to look behind her. Only the foolish or the desperate would eat anything fished out of the Gowanus lagoon, but the boardwalk was crowded with seafood restaurants hoping to capitalize on the maritime atmosphere. Their neon signs still winked at her from above shuttered doors and windows, criss-crossed by the black silhouettes of utility lines.The canals of the lagoon were lit, but not well, and the low tide made the landscape unsettling and strange. Buildings were taller than she remembered; boats moored in shallow water now rested on the ground.The lagoon had retreated to a few yards below the avenue. Jordyn switched on the flashlight and waded in one cautious step at a time, careful not to shift her weight forward until she was sure of her footing.The water was cold. Her toes were numb within half a block, but that was fine. The soles of her shoes were tough enough for nails and glass, and she didn't have far to go.In the LED glow of her flashlight, the yellow brick house looked almost white. For a disoriented moment, she wondered if she'd gone down the wrong street, or misremembered which side of it the building was on. Someone—a thief, an interim owner, the tide—had taken the bars from the lower-story windows. And the brick was striped with stains, each line a marker of the lagoon's creeping progress uphill.But the black iron numbers hanging above the door were the same. This was thehouse, reclaimed from the tide, if only for tonight. From this stoop, her mother had watched the water come.Jordyn was up to her waist in the lagoon. Her feet still had some feeling left, and she poked around with them under the night-black water, looking for the first step. Finding it, she climbed the uneven stairs, water running down the legs of her wetsuit and dripping from the saturated hem of her coat, to finally sit on the stoop, her back against the font door. Her feet were still in the water, and it tickled as it lapped around her ankles.She dried her hands off on her hair, then tugged her phone out of a waterproof pouch in her jacket. She held it up in front of her, looked into its little black eye, and smiled.END"King Tide" was originally published by Terraform in December of 2014.This recording is a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license which means you can share it with anyone you’d like, but please don’t change or sell it. Our theme is “Aurora Borealis” by Bird Creek, available through the Google Audio Library.Thanks for listening, and I’ll have another story for you on June 18th.[Music plays out]

Benjamin Percy and Etgar Keret read from and discuss their work. They are introduced by Jonathan Wilson, Director of the Center for the Humanities at Tufts University. The event took place on November 11, 2014 Benjamin Percy is the author of a novel, The Wilding (Graywolf Press, 2010), winner of the Society of Midland Authors Award for Fiction; and two books of stories, Refresh, Refresh (Graywolf, 2007) and The Language of Elk (Carnegie Mellon, 2006). His second novel, a psychological thriller entitled Red Moon, was published in 2013 (Hachette). His fiction and nonfiction have been read on National Public Radio, performed at Symphony Space, and published by Esquire, where he is a regular contributor, Men's Journal, Outside, the Paris Review, Tin House, Chicago Tribune, Orion, GQ, Men's Health, The Wall Street Journal, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, and many other magazines and journals. His honors include a National Endowment for the Arts, a Whiting Award, the Plimpton Prize, a Pushcart Prize, and inclusion in Best American Short Stories. His story "Refresh, Refresh" was adapted into a screenplay by filmmaker James Ponsoldt and a graphic novel (First Second Books, 2009) by Eisner-nominated artist Danica Novgorodoff. He teaches in the MFA program in creative writing and environment at Iowa State University. Hailed as the voice of young Israel and one of its most radical and extraordinary writers, Etgar Keret is internationally acclaimed for his short stories. Born in Tel Aviv in 1967 to an extremely diverse family, his brother heads an Israeli group that lobbies for the legalization of marijuana, and his sister is an orthodox Jew and the mother of ten children. Keret regards his family as a microcosm of Israel. His book, The Nimrod Flip-Out, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006), is a collection of 32 short stories that captures the craziness of life in Israel today. Rarely extending beyond three or four pages, these stories fuse the banal with the surreal. Shot through with a dark, tragicomic sensibility and casual, comic-strip violence, he offers a window on a surreal world that is at once funny and sad. His most recent book, Suddenly a Knock on the Door (2010), became an instant #1 bestseller in Israel and came out in the US in 2012.

Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks met in person for the first time at Kobo's home office in Toronto in May 2014 and were interviewed by Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre about their individual works as well as the forthcoming collaborative graphic novel they are creating together and which will be coming from First Second books in 2016. The interview includes the following: ·         How these two “Twitter bro's” just met a few minutes before the interview (at Kobo's home office in Toronto in May 2014) ·         How Landline was a return to writing adult novels for Rainbow ·         The manner by which some of the travel, airport scenes and long distance phone calls to a family while traveling were somewhat predictive in Rainbow's journey as a touring author (and what she called “having a ‘Landline' moment.” ·         The speculative fiction element of Landline and Rainbow's love of reading science-fiction and the “geeky time travel” elements of the novel which features a “magic phone.” ·         How Rainbow wrote the novel Fangirl during NaNoWriMo and how both that novel and Landline were the fastest books that Rainbow wrote ·         Faith Erin Hicks sharing the fact that she is a giant library nerd ·         The ARC of Fangirl that Faith rec'd from a colleague who knew that she would like it (and that it was the first book of Rainbow's that Faith had read) ·         The cross-over in writing between the two women and Faith Erin Hicks' The Adventures of Superhero Girl comic ·         Faith's use of Canada in this 2014 Will Eisner Award winning comic – (professing to a lack of supervillains in Canada) ·         The “geekiness” factor in The Adventures of Superhero Girl and the fact that Faith wrote it with a reader like her in mind (to fill a gap that she saw in the industry) ·         The cameo appearance of Faith's local neighbourhood comic book store (Strange Adventures) ·         Faith's Mom recognizing Faith as Superhero Girl and her real life “golden brother” ·         Faith's hilarious copyright notice for her work posted online and her belief that she wouldn't have a career if it wasn't for making her work available online for free ·         The way that Rainbow and Faith first connected via Twitter ·         The Twitter connection to First Second Books and how Rainbow and Faith's collaborative book project came together (in a very “When Harry Met Sally” way) ·         How collaboration between two creators can be like a weird marriage ·         The “Sherlock” tangent that Rainbow and Faith can often follow ·         The importance of giving yourself permission to do something new and, importantly, the permission to try something and fail ·         The fact that there will definitely be kissing in their collaborative book (because Rainbow likes to write “kissing” and Faith wants to draw “kissing”) ·         The great fan art that exists for Rainbow's previous novels from artists such as Simini Blocker  ·         The mutual admiration the two have for The X-Men (particularly the “blue” characters for Rainbow) ·         Faith's adoration of the character of Marrow from The X-Men (the least popular character of all time, according to polls) ·         The addictive nature and magic that happens when collaborations work really well ·         How someone at Groundwood Books tweeted (well before this project was conceived) that Rainbow and Faith we work well together ·         How KWL will continue to follow the progress of their collaboration (due to come out in 2016) Mark then talks about what can happen when writers are open, social and collaborative in nature, reflecting on how Rainbow and Faith were mutual fans of one another, had connected in an online community. Mark shares his own experiences from a recent conference in which he connected with other writers, editors, publishers, librarians and booksellers, and explains the beautiful serendipity that can happen when writers take advantage of the connections and opportunities that can arise from engaging with the community. LINKS Rainbow's Website Rainbow on Twitter Rainbow on Tumbler Rainbow's Books at Kobo   Faith's Website Faith on Twitter Faith on Tumblr Faith's Books at Kobo

Everyone knows what it's like to have to present something in school, having to stand up in front of a group of peers and present something or give a speech. Everyone also knows the sweaty palms, the white knuckles, the quasi out of body experience while speaking. If you can even get the words out, that is. Well, don't look now but if you're an artist with a project, your speech giving days aren't over. And in fact, this one's for your livelihood: You have to pitch your project, your baby, to an individual who receives pitches from others and their babies all day, every day. Feel free to have a seat, if you need to. We understand. But fear not, dear artist. Our esteemed CEO and panel host Patrick Yurick, along with some of the great minds in the industry today, are here to help. Even if it involves stalking. While we here at Making Comics don't condone it, there just may be a benefit in there somewhere. Take a listen to this week's Get a Grasp! MOOC panel podcast and find out how. For stalking purposes: Patrick Yurick, host and CEO of Making Comics (dotCom) (@patrickyurick) Colleen AF Venable, senior designer for First Second Books (@colleenaf) Carol Burrell, senior editor at Abrams ComicArts Chip Mosher, VP Communications for ComiXology (@chipmosher) Arnie Gordon, freelance artist (@dreamerwestAG) Caleb Goellner, senior editor at Comics Alliance (@calebandrew) For legal purposes: Intro & Outro Song: "RetroFuture Clean" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Transition: InceptionBrassHitMedium.wav: Herbert Boland / www.freesound.org

Fred Chao appears at the 2013 Library of Congress National Book Festival. Speaker Biography: Artist and designer Fred Chao wrote and illustrated the graphic novel "Johnny Hiro," which was nominated for four Eisner Awards and included in "The Best American Comics 2010." He has done illustrations for HarperCollins Publishers, First Second Books, Soft Skull Books and several Disney magazines. His new graphic novel is "Johnny Hiro: Half Asian, All Hero." For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6079

Vancouver cartoonist Tony Cliff joined me to talk about his new book from First Second Books, Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. My apologies for horribly misspronouncing the title. Tony is too polite, and I am too much of a jerk.

Editing, writing, graphic novels, First Second Books, and more! //www.youtube.com/watch?v=R10AAaL7zKc I’m excited to talk with Calista Brill, Senior Editor at First Second Books, about the entire process of developing and publishing a graphic novel. What does a good pitch look like? What qualities are editors looking for in a graphic novel proposal? Once the book […]

Lucy Knisley’s latest book is Relish from First Second Books. Lucy is an amazing talented and prolific creator with an amazing amount of excellent comics and never seems to slowdown in her output.

Mini-Comics, Sumo, Tumblr Comics, Thien Pham, and more! //www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-5uYdsO0jI This time we discover that Sumo wrestling can be a metaphor for the creative life thanks to the work of Thien Pham, author of Sumo from First Second Books. Together we explore how the philosophy of “every moment is the moment of truth” applies to just […]

Publishing, Pitching, First Second Books! //www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_CBtrV8wGk Some of us have come face-to-face with the grim reality of getting our work published. It’s not quite as glamorous and easy as the fantasy we might have constructed as a kid. But Gina Gagliano of First Second Books stops by the show to lend a bunch of great […]

Sailor Twain cartoonist, Mark Siegel joined me on the show to talk about his new work as well as a little about the going ons of First Second Books. We also discuss his Kickstarter campaign for the book and how … Continue reading →

Zita the Spacegirl! Ben Hatke! Book Reviews! Welcome to a special BOOK CLUB edition of Kids Comics Revolution! This episode is dedicated entirely to the graphic novel Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke, published by First Second Books. We hear from kids, teachers, cartoonists, librarians, and maybe even a few aliens to find out what […]